Box Partition Set

ABSTRACT

A partition set for reinforcing a container&#39;s handles, the partition set including at least one interlocking subcomponent without hand holes and at least one interlocking subcomponent with two end panels with hand holes; the hand holes alignable with the container&#39;s hand holes; thereby providing reinforcement to the container&#39;s handles. Also, a container with hand hole reinforcement provided by the partition set.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to partitioning devices and, more specifically, to partitioning devices with hand holes for containers and carriers.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Prior art includes various inventions for the reinforcement of container handles. Container handles fail for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the contents are too heavy for the handles to support and they tear by compression and in-plane shearing, a condition termed “edge crush.” In other similar cases, the user grips the handles and presses down on the top of the box with his palm, squeezes excessively, resulting again in edge crush. In yet other cases, the user bends the handles out-of-plane, which is a weaker position than in-plane, and the handles tear under much less force. Various prior art inventions have been designed to reinforce the handles and prevent failure.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,373 for a carton divider incorporating 3-ply lifting handle, describes a combined divider and handle reinforcing insert for a paperboard carton is formed with a three-ply thickness. It further describes first and second divider panels each having an upper edge and a lower edge and oppositely disposed first and second end edges, first and second handle panels each having upper and lower edges and oppositely disposed first and second end edges, the lower edges of the first and second handle panels being connected to the upper edge of the first and second divider panels respectively.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,239 for a reduced material carton divider and method of producing same teaches a carton divider having vertically oriented longitudinal partitions and vertically oriented transverse partitions inter-engaged to form a grid of cells for receiving glass containers. It further describes a reinforcing strip which extends laterally on opposite sides of a vertical line bisecting said cell wall face and extends vertically for a distance spanning the vertical extent of said cell wall face.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,977 for a bottle carrier with dividers describes a carrier comprising of a top panel section, a first side panel section and an opposing second side panel section, a bottom panel section, and a divider section. It further describes that the divider section includes a handle reinforcement portion, a first divider panel, and a second divider panel. The handle reinforcement portion is attached to a handle grip portion in the top panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to partition sets for containers and carriers.

It is an object of this invention to provide a partition set for a container that reinforces the handles of the container.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a container with a partition set that reinforces the handles of the container.

A further object of this invention is to provide a shrink-wrapped container with a partition set that reinforces the handles in the shrink-wrap.

Accordingly, a broad embodiment of this invention is directed to a container with a partition, the partition ends providing reinforcement to the container handles.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings, as they support the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention, showing the partition subcomponents.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention, showing the partition subcomponents assembled with the end panels unfolded.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention, showing the partition subcomponents assembled with the end panels folded.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention, showing the partition and container assembled.

FIG. 5 is a drawing of one embodiment of the invention, showing the partition used in a plastic-wrapped container.

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of one embodiment of the invention, showing the partition with finger holes.

FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of the invention, showing another embodiment with finger holes.

FIG. 8 is a drawing of one embodiment of the invention, showing a reinforcing attachment for the hand hole.

FIG. 9 is a drawing of one embodiment of the invention, showing another reinforcing attachment for the hand hole.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are drawings of another embodiment of the invention, showing a comfort flap in an end panel.

FIG. 11 is a drawing of an example embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a drawing of an example embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a drawing example of different hand hole configurations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings in general, the illustrations are for the purpose of describing a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention thereto.

The present invention provides a partition set for a container. The partition set is composed of subcomponents, shown in FIG. 1. The partition set includes at least one interlocking subcomponent without a handle 10 and at least one interlocking subcomponent 20 with at least one end panel 30, the end panel having at least one hand hole 35.

The subcomponents are assembled into a partition, generally shown as 100 in FIGS. 2 and 3. Once assembled, the end panels 30 of the subcomponents are folded prior to placement in the container, as shown in FIG. 3. Once folded, the partition set is placed in the container 45, as shown in an example embodiment in FIG. 4.

The partition set separates the container contents and provides reinforcement for the hand holes in the container. The partition end panels 30 fold to abut against the handle sides 40 of a container 45. The end panel hand holes 35 match and align with the hand holes 60 in the sides of container when the end panels are folded and abutted against the sides of the container, as shown in FIG. 4. This positioning provides reinforcement to the container hand holes 60 in several ways. One method of reinforcement is by preventing the container sides above the hand hole from tearing out-of-plane when the user lifts the container. This method of tearing, out-of-plane tearing, requires less force than the method wherein the container side compresses upward, compression tearing. Therefore, adding reinforcement to prevent this method of tearing is useful for containers in which the content weight does not exceed the compression tearing limit but does exceed the out-of-plane tearing limit.

Another method of handle failure is edge crush by the bearer. In edge crush, the bearer grips the handles and presses down on the top of the box with his palm, squeezing excessively, and crushing the handle. The present invention provides resistance against this type of crushing because it provides additional support between the handle and the top of the container.

In cases where the container includes a top, the partition set is designed and configured to abut against the top when the container is closed (not shown). In this manner, the partition set also provides support against compression tearing. That is, the partition set abuts against the top and now provides a downward resisting force against the upward compression force, in addition to the resistance provided against the out-of-plane force. In these cases, the partitions with the end panels 20 are slotted to fit into the cross panels 10 from below, as shown in the figures. This configuration helps distribute the compression force over all the subcomponents contacting the top of the container.

The end panels, which provide the majority of the tearing and crushing resistance of the partition set according to the present invention, can be reinforced to provide even further support. For example, varnish, paint, tape, glue and the like and combinations thereof can be added around the hand holes on the end panel. Additionally or alternatively, low adhesive glue, such as low-tack, pressure-sensitive glue, such as that used in Post-It notes, can be applied to the outside surface of the end panels. When the container handles are gripped, the increased pressure causes the glued panels to adhere to the container and prevent slipping. The low-tackiness of the glue allows the subcomponents to be stacked, yet easily separable.

The present invention can be used in a variety of containers where the handles are subject to failure. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the present invention can be used in a container wherein the container is formed from a base 70 and a plastic wrap 80, such as shrink wrap. In this example embodiment, the base does not include hand holes; the hand holes are included in the shrink-wrap 80 and the partition hand holes align with and abut these. The partition end panel thus provides reinforcement to the shrink-wrap around the hand holes.

The present invention also provides additional support when the containers are stacked. The hand holes greatly reduce the compression support of the end panel directly beneath and above them, sometimes resulting in crushing of the area above the hand hole. The present invention provides additional support to prevent this crushing.

The present invention is designed and configured to provide support for standard hand holes for cardboard box containers and also for containers and end panels with diverse sizes and configurations. For example, the hand holes can be a multiplicity of finger holes 90, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Multiple finger holes are advantageous over a single hand hole because they increase the amount of both lateral and vertical support for each horizontal length of handle, and thus increase the strength of the handle system. FIG. 13 shows other configurations for hand holes, including angled holes.

Certain task may require additional reinforcement. In those cases, the present invention provides several embodiments. FIGS. 8 and 9 show reinforcing attachments for the hand holes. These reinforcing attachments can be two-piece design, as shown in FIG. 8, or one-piece design, as shown in FIG. 9. These are preferably made of plastic and are designed and configured to snap into place, locking the end panel to the container side and providing additional support.

Another embodiment that provides user comfort and additional reinforcement is shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. In this embodiment the hand hole is only partially cut out of the end panel, leaving a flap 110. The upper part of the hand hole cut-out is left attached to the panel such that it can hinge outwards, thus forming a comfort flap. The flap need not be excessive; merely long enough to extend across the top of the container's hand hole when folded outward by the user. The flat surface of the flap provides comfort to the user because it prevents the user from contacting the sharper edges of the container hand holes.

FIGS. 11 through 14 show example embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows a carrier closed with partition inside (not visible), wherein the carrier a closed rectangular box shape. FIG. 12 shows a similar embodiment to FIG. 11 being lifted by a user.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. The above-mentioned examples are provided to serve the purpose of clarifying the aspects of the invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that they do not serve to limit the scope of the invention. All modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the present invention. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A partition set comprising: a plurality of length partitions each including a first end panel, a second end panel and a middle panel; each of the end panels including a hole; each of the middle panels positioned substantially parallel to each other; each of the first end panels positioned orthogonally to the middle panels, wherein each of the first end panels overlap each other, thereby aligning the holes of each of the first end panels; each of the second end panels positioned orthogonally to the middle panels, wherein each of the second end panels overlap each other, thereby aligning the holes of each of the second end panels; and at least one width partition without holes configured to interlock with each of the middle panels.
 2. The partition set of claim 1, wherein the at least one width partition is interlocked orthogonally with each of the middle panels.
 3. The partition set of claim 1, wherein the width and length partitions are of equal height.
 4. The partition set of claim 3, wherein the height is substantially equal to a container height.
 5. The partition set of claim 1, further including reinforcement attachments for reinforcing the aligned holes.
 6. The partition set of claim 5, wherein the reinforcement attachments are selected from the group comprised of hand hole flaps and plastic ring snaps.
 7. The partition set of claim 1, wherein each of the overlapped end panels are adhered to each other with glue.
 8. The partition set of claim 7, wherein the glue is a low-tack, pressure sensitive glue.
 9. The partition set of claim 1, wherein the holes are further reinforced by covering the hole edges with a substance selected from the group comprised of varnish, paint, tape, glue and combinations thereof.
 10. A partition set for insertion into a container having holes on each of two ends, the partition set comprising: a plurality of length partitions each including a first end panel, a second end panel and a middle panel; each of the end panels including a hole; each of the middle panels positioned substantially parallel to each other and having a length substantially equal to the container length; each of the first end panels positioned orthogonally to the middle panels, wherein each of the first end panels overlap each other, thereby aligning the holes of each of the first end panels with the first container hole; each of the second end panels positioned orthogonally to the middle panels, wherein each of the second end panels overlap each other, thereby aligning the holes of each of the second end panels with the second container hole; and at least one width partition without holes configured to interlock with each of the middle panels.
 11. The partition set of claim 10, wherein the at least one width partition is interlocked orthogonally with the middle panels.
 12. The partition set of claim 10, wherein the length and width partitions are of a height substantially equal to the container's internal height.
 13. The partition set of claim 10 further including reinforcement attachments for reinforcing the aligned holes of the end panels and the container.
 14. The partition set of claim 13, wherein the reinforcement attachments are selected from the group comprised of hand hole flaps and plastic ring snaps.
 15. The partition set of claim 10, wherein each of the overlapped end panels are adhered to each other and/or the container with glue.
 16. The partition set of claim 15, wherein the glue is a low-tack, pressure sensitive glue.
 17. The partition set of claim 10, wherein the holes are further reinforced by covering the hole edges with a substance selected from the group comprising varnish, paint, tape, glue and combinations thereof.
 18. A partition set insertable into a container, the partition set comprising: a plurality of length partitions each including a first end panel, a second end panel and a middle panel; each of the end panels includes a hole; each of the middle panels positioned substantially parallel to each other and having a length substantially equal to the container length; each of the first end panels positioned orthogonally to the middle panels, wherein each of the first end panels overlap each other, thereby aligning the holes of each of the first end panels with a first plastic wrap hole; each of the second end panels positioned orthogonally to the middle panels, wherein each of the second end panels overlap each other, thereby aligning the holes of each of the second end panels with a second plastic wrap hole; and at least one width partition without holes configured to interlock with each of the middle panels.
 19. The partition set of claim 18, further including reinforcement attachments for reinforcing the holes, wherein the reinforcement attachments are selected from the group comprised of hand hole flaps and plastic ring snaps.
 20. The partition set of claim 18, wherein each of the overlapped end panels are adhered to each other with glue, wherein the glue is a low-tack, pressure sensitive glue. 